Next Cafe Scientifique to Focus on Phenomena of Light

The next Café Scientifique will take place on Tuesday, February 26, at 6 p.m. at the Common Cup Coffeehouse (501 Atlantic Avenue, Morris, MN 56267). Sylke Boyd, associate professor of physics, will lead the discussion, entitled "Sundogs and Halos and Pillars—oh my.” All are welcome to attend, and audience participation is encouraged.

The discussion will address light-related phenomena often seen in Minnesota's skies, including sun dogs, light pillars, rainbows, halos, coronas, sunset shows, and occasional glimpses of the Aurora Borealis. Boyd will explain how these visions tell stories about both the air and the sun. It is her hope that by promoting increased understanding of these events, she can inspire deeper appreciation for them as well.

Café Scientifique is an ongoing series that offers a space where anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology for the price of a cup of coffee. Meetings take place outside of a traditional academic context and are committed to promoting public engagement with science. Additional information is available online. Interested audiences can look forward to additional discussions on the last Tuesday of selected months in 2013.

Café Scientifique is supported in part by a grant to the University of Minnesota, Morris from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Precollege Science Education Program.

The University of Minnesota, Morris is a public liberal arts University that provides a rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education, preparing its students to be global citizens who value and pursue intellectual growth, civic engagement, intercultural competence, and environmental stewardship.